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I had an AuthenTec fingerprint scanner in an old HP laptop before I got my MBP. It worked I guess, but it seemed gimmicky and I never used it. I'm hoping Apple has something more interesting planned than just a fingerprint unlock.
 
If history s any indicator... The future is not so bright. Remember the hype surrounding Apple acquiring Liquid Metal IP right? So far this has only produced SIM ejector. Then there were Placebase, Poly9, and C3 Technologies. Result? Apple Maps :p

And obviously HP and Samsung have nothing to worry about. Here is a list of companies producing fingerprint sensors:

Alps Electric
Atmel
Atrua
AU Optronics
Authentec
BMF
Casio
Casio + Alps
Cecrop, KSI, Sannaedle
Dakty (formerly Delsy)
Digital Persona
EgisTec (formerly LighTuning)
ElecVision
Ethentica
Fidelica
Fingerprint Cards
FlashScan3D
Fujitsu
Hitachi
Idex
IMEN
Infineon (Siemens)
LighTuning (now Egistec)
LiteOn
Melfas
Mitsumi
NEC
NTT
NanoIdent
Silicon Display Technology
Seiko Epson
Sharp
Sonavation
Sony
Symwave
TesTech / Integrated Biometrics
TST touchless
Ultrascan
Upek
Validity
Veridicom

Remember how long it took for PA semiconductor to make a completely new ARM core? Like, from 2007ish until last week? None of the companies you listed produce this type of sensor, which is why Apple is buying them.

I'm sure we'll see something from the liquid metal acquisition one day since it seems Apple likes to buy up firms that are on to something but not yet ready to produce.
 
Wow, the nerd that you all bullied in grade school is now kicking ass and taking names. Apple has never had a real lead in the enterprise, except with the new BYOD concept, but if all their products go uber-secure, they could really have a big stake in the future of office computing, even if it's because everyone has to pay up to license their technology.
 
Wow, the nerd that you all bullied in grade school is now kicking ass and taking names. Apple has never had a real lead in the enterprise, except with the new BYOD concept, but if all their products go uber-secure, they could really have a big stake in the future of office computing, even if it's because everyone has to pay up to license their technology.

I seriously doubt Apple is ever going to take aim at the Enterprise again - their own company probably wouldn't fit into a standard Enterprise model, unlike Microsoft who have become more and more like an IBM.
 
Remember how long it took for PA semiconductor to make a completely new ARM core? Like, from 2007ish until last week? None of the companies you listed produce this type of sensor, which is why Apple is buying them.

I'm sure we'll see something from the liquid metal acquisition one day since it seems Apple likes to buy up firms that are on to something but not yet ready to produce.

Exactly. We are not talking about your standard finger print scanner rather one BUILT INTO the touchscreen/pad.
 
The only reason it makes sense to dump all your customers on acquisition is if someone is planning some anti-competitive nonsense.

This is not normal business behavior.
 
Remember how long it took for PA semiconductor to make a completely new ARM core? Like, from 2007ish until last week? None of the companies you listed produce this type of sensor, which is why Apple is buying them.

I'm sure we'll see something from the liquid metal acquisition one day since it seems Apple likes to buy up firms that are on to something but not yet ready to produce.

My knowledge of this tech is very limited. But I suspect that for what these sensors are typically used in laptops/phones, any sensor will do :p
 
Annnnnd the Goliath that is Apple gobbles up another company again to "incorporate" their innovation with total disregard of the consequences of what it will do to the world.

wait...what? are you saying they shouldnt acquire talent because their competitors will then have more work to do?

They are winning again but Monopoly isn't just a game :apple:

do you know what a monopoly is? apple products have so much market share competition its not even funny. Google, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, RIM, Amazon, Microsoft, etc....take your pick. monopoly it aint.
 
Not worth the effort

I had an AuthenTec fingerprint scanner in an old HP laptop before I got my MBP. It worked I guess, but it seemed gimmicky and I never used it. I'm hoping Apple has something more interesting planned than just a fingerprint unlock.

I've had fingerprint scanners on 4 different brands of PC's and the problems getting the readers to work wasn't worth the efforts and I ended up using the old password logins. It seemed that it took multiple swipes on multiple fingers to get a good reading and half the time I had to rescan the fingers in the set up to get them to work at all.
 
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If this company holds most of the technology I have to wonder how long before an anti trust suit is filed.

you dudes dont understand how this works. tech is not a commodity -- me owning some doesnt prevent you from developing your own.
 
The only reason it makes sense to dump all your customers on acquisition is if someone is planning some anti-competitive nonsense.

This is not normal business behavior.

Actually, it's probably more likely that this company can't make enough parts for Apple and all of those other companies...let alone that Apple doesn't want to provide products that it makes to other companies.

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They showed, that they are not able to manage a process, and this process is: Security.

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No.

Oh really, no? Are you going to grab the prints from beneath the skin with magic?

Otherwise, that process has nothing to do with fingerprint scanners themselves.
 
Annnnnd the Goliath that is Apple gobbles up another company again to "incorporate" their innovation with total disregard of the consequences of what it will do to the world.

They are winning again but Monopoly isn't just a game :apple:

Might want to do some research before spouting off some anti-apple rhetoric.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/17/3322854/google-startup-mergers-acquisitions-failure-is-a-feature

Since its early days, Google has looked outside itself for inspiration on new directions its business could take. The search giant’s mergers and acquisitions team set new records in 2010 and 2011 for the sheer number of companies it acquired. Last year alone it bought up 25 companies, one every two weeks. If you count the firms acquired for patents and intellectual property, the total number is a whopping 79. Taking a look at Google’s peers, it becomes clear just how astonishing these numbers are. Facebook bought just ten companies in 2011; Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft only three apiece.
 
My knowledge of this tech is very limited. But I suspect that for what these sensors are typically used in laptops/phones, any sensor will do :p

This discussion came up here before, and someone brought up his father's calloused hands not working with fingerprint scanners. This new technology reads beneath the skin, so if you've got worn hands you can still use it. Also, because it doesn't require the same sort of contact, a layer of glass in between might be possible but I'm not going to start speculating there.
 
What if I have a cut on my thumb/finger(s)? Will I be locked out? :eek:

When you first set up your identity on one of these devices, you scan multiple fingers from both hands.

I use this now on my Windows 7 Laptop.
 
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